The article by Mara Sapon-Shevin "Building a Safe Community for Learning" was great. I really enjoyed reading it and thinking back about different teachers I have had and my kids have had and how they made students feel in their classroom. I hope that I will be able to build a safe community in my classroom. I really like some of the ideas that she discussed and would like to incorporate them in the future.
A couple that really hit home for me were the example of the roll call, the singing, the daily "news and goods", and especially the spotlight child book.
Taking the time during roll call making sure everyone knows that someone will be missed, and is an important member of the community is wonderful. I know in my own experience, one of my sons was having a difficult time with nerves and school, and didn't want to go. At first I kept him home thinking his stomach ache was the flu, but after it kept happening, we had to start exploring other options. His teacher letting him know how important he was to the day to day classroom discussions really made him feel good. I think everyone, no matter how young or old, wants to know they are missed.
Singing -- I cannot sing my way out of a bucket. I have worried about becoming a kindergarten teacher because I can't sing worth a darn. However, I see song as a intergral part of learning at that age, at any age really. It helps to ease transitions, helps in remembering things, and just makes things fun. Now I have another reason -"because it builds a sense of community because we sound better together than we would individually"(p101). It is so true. There is nothing like hearing a group of children singing. They may not hit the right notes, but they are having fun and are too young to be embarrassed about singing yet. If they can do it, I figure I can too.
Another idea that Sapon-Shevin brings up is a variation on show and tell called " News and Goods"(p104). She says the kids go around and take turns telling about something good that happened in their life. Too often in today's society the focus is on the bad. I love that this is a focus on good, on accomplishments, a way to appreciate everyone. While not everyone will have good news everyday, sometimes people will have bad experiences, I like how it is set up to support each other. I hope I can accomplish the environment she talks about, although I think it would sometimes be challenging. I know with my own kids, it is sometimes hard to get them to be supportive of each others accomplishments. When my sixth grade son got his first 100 % on a spelling test, my 3rd grade son's response was "So -- I get those all the time", and my 8th grade daughter's response was " You've never gotten 100% before?!?". It was difficult to get them both to understand it was a huge accomplishment for him, and that everyone has different strengths, is better at different things, and that this was a big achievment for him, and we should be happy for him.
My favorite of her ideas was the Spotlight child book(p108). She gave each child a week - whether it is called Child of the Week, Spotlight Child, Student of the Week, etc., they got to bring in special items to share, maybe have special jobs and tell the class more about themselves. That is pretty standard in many classrooms I have been in. The thing that she did that I think makes this more special was having each child make a page for that student of the week saying"What I like about_________". Then she collects them and turns them into a book to give to each student. I think this is something that kids will cherish for a long time. It is hard sometimes to know what other people like about you, and reading that people like things about you would be a huge boost to anyone's self esteem.
I love reading about great ideas that others have, about things that teachers have tried that have worked well in their classes. I feel like it is better to have examples of good things that have worked, rather than to be constantly faced with things that haven't. I need to start compiling a folder of ideas that I would like to try out.
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5 comments:
I'm glad that you're enjoying this article.
Yes, this sort of work can be challenging, and it does take ongoing work and attention and enabling all kids to be more mindful of how they're contributing to the community.
You will leave this program with many many fat folders (and a fat wiki!) full if ideas.
And we also want to support you as you think about why these things are important, and what each of these readings talked about (what did you think of Greene who also had really clear suggestions) things well beyond the importance of self-esteem....
What were your thoughts on those other reasons for building community, given all that we've talked about so far?
When you say that these things "worked", my nudging question is "worked for what?" :)
Jane
I didn't really find Greene's article as helpful or interesting. She seemed to quote alot from classic literature and from various figures from history, but for me, there wasn't really anything that hit me and made a strong impression with me.
You asked " worked for what". I feel like these are good tools to help build a safe, fun, good community.
Hi, Rachel,
So, to go back to everyone's favorite Buchman -- she suggests that teachers stay with what is already familiar and relatively comfortable for them, and sometimes, that works against the best interests of students.
Greene has done incredible work with kids and teachers for decades, and she's summarizing part of that work here, and she's talking very clearly about goals that are much more than having fun or safe classrooms for the sake of community as a goal in and of itself.
And Buchman would ask: what if Greene's ideas about using arts and literature are exactly the kind of thing that would engage kids in your classroom who are not going to easily find their place in community through some of the easier activities in the other article?
What, then, is your professional responsibility for learning more yourself about what she wants you to think about?
Buchman would ask about how individual teachers decide when they'll push themselves in new directions, even if they're not immediately connected to things that we now see in schools, and when they stay within what has more clear appeal.
Neither of these authors would say that community is an end in itself... They both want us to understand that!
All such interesting things to think about ....
jane
I agree that building a community is not the end in itself, but just one small step in a journey.
I like Ayers,chapter 5, where he talks about picking one big overall theme/topic/exploration each year and seeing where the kids go from there. Many of the teachers I admire do exactly that, and while I think wow that would a great idea! They build off of what the kids do.
I think that is a great way to keep me engaged too. I guess I thought I had to be the "expert" at everything, but I am coming to realize that I can be learning along the way also.
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